Catwalk homer: Boston Red Sox LF Alex Verdugo thinks he would have caught Nelson Cruz’s homer against wall

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nelson Cruz blasted a home run off the c-ring of the catwalk during Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday.

The ground rules here at Tropicana Field consider any ball hit off the c-ring a home run. But would it have been a home run if it didn’t hit the catwalk?

“Obviously he hit it good. He hit it hard. He hit it high,” left fielder Alex Verdugo said. “From my point of view, it looked like the ball was going to get caught right up against the fence because I felt like I had a pretty good beat on it. I was drifting back just a little bit. But when it hit the catwalk, it was coming down, pretty significant drop. It wasn’t really at that angle. It was a steep drop. So I didn’t think it was a home run like that. But obviously the rule is the rule. If it hits that catwalk, it’s considered a homer. So nothing we can do about it.”

The Rays won 5-0 over Boston in Game 1. The two teams will play Game 2 on Friday here at Tropicana Field. First pitch is at 7:02 p.m.

“This is just one of those stadiums that has that,” Verdugo said. “I think Mike Zunino hit a fly ball that scraped the roof. It’s just one of those things. It’s a weird stadium. But the rules are the rules. And, hey, he hit it, and give it to him.”

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